Long story short: Initially, I had planned on recording a five-song, tight, straightforward EP that I would be proud to give to you. However, as soon as we started recording, I knew something special was going on, and that an EP was not going to cut it. That’s not bragging, it’s just that when you do something long enough, you kinda get a feel for when it’s the real thing, and in this case it was obvious. It also meant that an EP was not going to cut it. So I crashed through the DEAD END sign and kept on driving. I now have a full-length record that is edgy, Americana-leaning, story-based, and deeply connected to all my work that came before it. Minor Fits is being fueled by a Pledge campaign, and I’m asking you to help me see it through to completion. In addition to the finished product, I’m psyched to offer a bunch of things I’ve been itching to give you, including many other studio and live recordings, podcasts, interviews with the people who worked on the record, a quarterly subscription to the all-new and still infamous Tallboy magazine, and more. You’ll be a part of the first-ever non-holiday expansion of the Holiday Omens, which is explained below. And hey, if you don’t see something that you want, just ask me. Let’s make this work. For decades, you have been there for me and I have tried to express my gratitude by making the best possible work I can. I hope you’ll join me now, and continue to play along. So that’s it. Let’s do this. Related show...

I went on CNN to talk about my piece in the New York Times, “Touring Can’t Save Artists in the Age of Spotify.” I’m wearing the suit I got married in. Here’s a segment on CNN’s site. Here’s a piece of the Times article: “Touring is, of course, the most ancient business model available to artists — and in many ways, it remains a vital part of their livelihood, even while the surrounding industry undergoes major upheaval to accommodate the new paradigm of streaming music. In response to the shift in revenue sources, standard recording contracts now intrude into the numerous nonrecording aspects of an artist’s career. But the advice given to the creative generators of this multibillion dollar industry is still one that would be recognizable to a medieval troubadour: Go on tour. And yet from a business standpoint, it’s hard to find a model more unsustainable than one that relies on a single human body. This is why we have vice presidents, relief pitchers and sixth men. When applied to music’s seemingly limitless streaming future, the only scarce resource left is the artists themselves. You would think the industry would protect such an important piece of its business model, but in fact, the opposite is true.” Read on at the New York...

Don’t know if this is apocryphal, but I have heard parts of it quoted to me enough times that I’m willing to assume that most of it is 90% true. Yogi Berra Explains Jazz Interviewer: Can you explain jazz? Yogi: I can’t, but I will. 90% of all jazz is half improvisation. The other half is the part people play while others are playing something they never played with anyone who played that part. So if you play the wrong part, its right. If you play the right part, it might be right if you play it wrong enough. But if you play it too right, it’s wrong. Interviewer: I don’t understand. Yogi: Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can’t understand it. It’s too complicated. That’s what’s so simple about it. Interviewer: Do you understand it? Yogi: No. That’s why I can explain it. If I understood it, I wouldn’t know anything about it. Interviewer: Are there any great jazz players alive today? Yogi: No. All the great jazz players alive today are dead. Except for the ones that are still alive. But so many of them are dead, that the ones that are still alive are dying to be like the ones that are dead. Some would kill for it. Interviewer: What is syncopation? Yogi: That’s when the note that you should hear now happens either before or after you hear it. In jazz, you don’t hear notes when they happen because that would be some other type of music. Other types of music can be jazz, but only if they’re the same as something different from...

Country Music Hall of Famer @stevewariner joined me at @CliveDavisInst at @nyuniversity to talk songwriting. What a semester it’s been. Special thanks to my guest speaker, Country Music Hall of Famer Steve Wariner, who talked about his own writing process, as well as his work with Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Dottie West, and so many great artists and writers. Toward the end of class, one of the students asked if he’d play a little, and he broke out “Tattoos of Life” and “Two Teardrops” solo. What a semester it’s been. Break out the violet cardigan sweaters: I am teaching songwriting at NYU’s Clive Davis School of the Recording Arts this fall. We’ve been focusing on the establishment of a personal songwriting voice, and oh, we’ve been writing. And...

“The rule is: Make Noise.” Special thanks to my guest speaker, Benny Blanco, who took time out between writing sessions to talk to the students about his own trajectory, how he keeps his work fresh, and how he balances life in the process. Funny, irreverent and inspiring, he was a high point of the semester so far. Break out the violet cardigan sweaters: I am teaching songwriting at NYU’s Clive Davis School of the Recording Arts this fall. We’ve been focusing on the establishment of a personal songwriting voice, and oh, we’ve been writing. And writing. Tune in for music, shows, announcements, giveaways, videos and all that stuff, here: Facebook || Twitter || YouTube || Bandcamp || Pandora Tallboy 7, Inc. Box 20463 NY NY...